


Saved My Heart For You

by pensversusswords



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Compliant, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Protective Steve Rogers, Romance, SO MUCH FLUFF, Steve Feels, Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-03 09:54:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2846789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pensversusswords/pseuds/pensversusswords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony had been trying to propose for months, but it turned out that post-battle on Christmas Eve was the best time to pop the question.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. This Second

**Author's Note:**

> This is a stand alone fic, but I'm also posting it in my 25 days collection of Stony Christmas fics. I just wanted to post it in both places because it was always intended to be a stand alone, but I didn't want anyone who is following those fics (36k+ words of Christmas fluff is probably kind of intimidating) to miss it. So yeah, enjoy!
> 
> [My tumblr](http://preserumsteve.co.vu), where I take prompts and all the fun stuff happens.

Tony had been trying to propose to Steve for months.

He'd thought of it one day, a rather unspectacular day, when they were sitting curled up on the couch, with Tony resting his head on Steve's shoulder while they watched The Lion King for the third time (Steve had sworn that he wouldn't cry again, but of course he did). Clint was flaked out on the floor in front of them, head resting against Natasha's knees, who was leaning on the other side of Steve. Bruce was curled up at the end of the couch next to Natasha, and Thor was laying on his stomach in the middle of the floor, staring up at the screen with rapt attention.

Steve had his arm around Tony, his hand braced lightly against the bare flesh of his arm, and Tony had one hand resting against the warmth of Steve's thigh. They always sat like that, for the entire year that they'd been together, with Tony all tucked up into a little ball next to him whenever he could (it turned out, Tony was an aggressive cuddler, and took every opportunity to have those massive tree trunk arms tight around him), and Steve holding him safe and close against his side.

It was that, the fact that Tony felt so safe in Steve's arms, that got him. Tony had never liked to consider himself to be a weak person, he could take care of himself. He'd been scared before, yes, many times. He lead a dangerous life, fear wasn't optional, but the stubbornness ingrained into his personality didn't allow him to let anyone else try to take care of him. He didn't like being coddled, and even when he craved it, he turned it away. He didn't like feeling weak, he didn't like feeling soft and like he needed someone to look after him.

With Steve, it was different. He wrapped those arms around him, those strong, muscular arms that were far more gentle than was to be expected considering their brute strength, and he felt protected, but not weak.  He was Iron Man, he knew Steve knew that he was more than capable of taking care of himself. Steve was his teammate, his leader,  his confidante, his best friend - he knew damn well that Tony was capable of taking care of himself.

He didn't make Tony feel safe because he didn't think Tony had the capabilities to function, he didn't protect him because he was a commodity, he didn't make Tony feel like he was being too greedy by taking his comfort and warmth. Steve gave himself willingly to Tony because he wanted to. Because he loved him.

Tony didn't mind being held when it came to Steve. In fact, he thought that he'd happily spend a lifetime in that man's arms.

That's what started it.

Sitting in the common room of the Avengers tower with a team of superheroes lounging in the pajamas, watching children's movies while they lived permanently on call for the safety of the world, he realized that this was the most content he'd ever been in his entire life, and damned if he was going to let that slip him by.

He had the ring made in the morning, and started planning right away.

See, he never had a moment of doubt about asking Steve to marry him once he decided that he was going to. Once he decided, that was it. He was going to ask.

The problem was; how?

He took Steve on an absurd amount of dates spanning the next couple months; spontaneous trips to Paris that Steve insisted were far too extravagant, entire restaurants reserved for the two of them to have a nice night alone, he even tried to cook once. That had been a disaster, he'd almost jabbed Steve in the eye with a fork, and he got tomato sauce on the ceiling. It was his first and last attempt at cooking.

Then there was the time where they had a picnic in his workshop, and because of Dummy (he was on clean-up duty for a week after that), the sprinklers went off. They, and the food that Tony had carefully picked out by Steve's taste, were completely soaked. Granted, any opportunity Tony got to see Steve laughing and in a drenched white t-shirt that clung to his muscles deliciously, he wasn't going to complain about. He was more than happy to take advantage of relieving Steve of that pesky wet shirt, and what followed was more than a little bit enjoyable.

Still. He'd been trying to propose, not bang his super enhanced boyfriend.  

So he tried over and over to pop the question. He was almost down on one knee more times than he could count, but it never felt like the right time. Whether it was an interruption that threatened the end of the world, or a near blinding experience, or him simply deciding it wasn't the perfect moment and ending up pretending he needed to tie his shoe, something always getting in the way. He planned it a dozen times over, he had a speech planned perfectly in his head, learned it word for word to the point where he was sure that he was saying it in his sleep. He was so prepared. He planned it more times than he had ever planned anything in his entire life. He figured, Steve was worth the effort. He was more than worth it.

When he finally did it though, it was in a completely impulsive moment, and he was pretty sure he'd nearly given Steve a heart attack.

They'd just been called out, bleary eyed and groggy as they were dragged from their beds on Christmas Eve to save New York for the fifth time that year, a lovely Christmas present from a scorned Loki who escaped from his prison in Asgard just in time to give planet earth a nice little gift for the holidays. They'd been in such a rush to get out the door when the signals went off that Tony ended up putting on his suit in a pair of Captain America boxers, and for some reason, Steve was wearing a Santa hat for the majority of the battle. He only realized he was wearing it when the press started taking pictures and Thor ever so kindly complimented on his magnificent head gear.

Tony almost expected Steve to turn as bright red as the hat as he pulled it off, but instead he plucked it from his head with a laugh, and handed it to the nearest reporter. He certainly made her Christmas; she plopped it on her own head and finished the rest of her interview with the dopiest expression on her face. Tony was pretty sure she was going to take it home and kiss it before she went to sleep every night.

Well, Tony didn't exactly blame her. It was Steve after all.

So they saved the world again, everyone was grateful, and Christmas was salvaged from the wreckage after all.

But, Tony may or may not have been in the doghouse by the end of the battle.

See, it wasn't really his fault. There had been an attack, an energy blast that could've been potentially fatal, and it had been fired right at Steve. Tony knew they could pack quite the wallop, and Steve had had his back to it, fighting off another alien creature by battering it with his shield, and if Tony hadn't swooped in at the last minute, it would've struck him square in the back.

When it came to Steve's safety, there was never even the slightest moment of a second thought. So, of course he leapt in front of the blast, he didn't even need to think about it. Of course Steve was grateful, profusely grateful. However, Tony was in the doghouse because when he leapt in the way of the attack, he ended up with the energy blast right in the center of his chest. A direct his to the arc reactor, and he'd gone down like a sack of bricks.

The world had gone a little bit foggy, there was this immense pain in his chest as the suit flickered somewhere between functional and non functional. He ended up on his back on the debris in the street, and his ears were filled with the sounds of Steve's frantic shouting and his hands on his shoulders, shaking and trying desperately to communicate with JARVIS.

All and all, it wasn't that big of a deal. He'd had much, much worse, and he was in near perfect condition not long after. Hardly any damage done, he'd just given Steve a mighty scare when the suit shuttered and went out of commission for a moment.

So, of course, he wasn't too impressed.

It wasn't really any different from normal. They always fought about this; Tony did something reckless and Steve reamed him over it (sometimes in more way than one, angry sex was sort of a hobby of theirs). It was a regular thing, and when they all tumbled into the tower after debrief, the sun was setting on Christmas Eve to the sound of Steve and Tony arguing. Loudly.

It was normal, they did this often. They'd have a near death experience, fight it out, and then move on. They didn't shy from bickering, they'd long since accepted it as a part of their relationship.

What wasn't normal, was when Steve said;

"You have got to stop risking your life for me, I don't want to live a life without you in it Tony," his eyes blazing and his mouth set in that familiar stubborn line, and Tony just deflated a bit.

Yeah. That, instead of all the stupidly perfect planned out dates he'd put together, was the right moment to propose.

It was then, when Steve said those words with his face drawn tight with emotion, his voice raw and crackly, that it clicked.

It just figured that the right time to propose happened to be when they were sweat stained, bruised and bloodied. Tony should have know. He should have expected as much, with the lives they lead.

So with all the planning, all the careful thought and waiting for the perfect night to ask the question, he ended up blurting it out in the middle of the communal living room, surrounded by a team of battle weary superheroes.

"Marry me," he said. It was a little too loud, the words tumbling from his mouth like they couldn't stand being inside of him for a moment longer. He felt a little frantic, actually, looking at Steve standing there in his hero regalia, with grime and blood streaked across his face, and he just had to. He needed this man for forever.  "Steve, marry me?"

There was a moment of complete silence, Tony could feel all the eyes in the room turning to them and staring, and it was like all the breath had been sucked out of the room. Steve was staring at him with eyes wide as saucers and his mouth gaping open just the slightest bit, like he'd forgotten to breathe or he wasn't sure how to get his mouth working again. All the concern and anger had drained out of his face, completely forgotten, and in place of it was utter shock.

Tony would be lying if he said that he wasn't scared in that moment, in that moment of dead quiet, when all the noise in the room disappeared and left behind a silence pregnant with shock. It was terrifying. He was pretty sure that he could hear his heartbeat drumming wildly in his ears, and his already limited lung capacity felt like it was being depleted at a rapid pace. He was sure that his face looked just as shocked as Steve's; hell, he hadn't expected himself to blurt out his proposal in the spur of the moment, either. He's surprised himself almost as much as he probably surprised everyone else.

So, yes, he was scared. But he wouldn't have taken it back for anything in the world.

"What?" Steve asked, his voice low and quiet, the word just the tiniest whisper, as if he dared not speak any louder, for fear of shattering the moment that had fallen heavy and thick over all of them.

"What?" Clint repeated, his voice just a tad squeaky. "Stark did you just- ow." There was a thump, and Clint's voice just dropped off with a disgruntled noise; Tony assumed that Natasha had most likely jabbed him in the ribs or something to shut him up. It didn't matter, Tony didn't pay them any attention. All he cared about was that Steve was looking at him like he was on the verge of falling, and Tony had just asked him to marry him.

Tony cleared his throat, gathered the very slimmest glimmer of courage he had left in his bones, and stepped forward. He reached out one hand, and found Steve's with his own. Steve willingly curled his hand around Tony's as he tangled their fingers together, but other than that he didn't move.

"Steve, I love you," Tony told him, and his voice sounded so raw and scratchy, but he didn't care, he didn't care. "I love you so damn much, marry me."

"Are you being serious," Steve asked, his tone cautiously hopeful, but Tony knew him; behind the frozen calm on his face, he could see something brimming behind his eyes, demanding to be set free.

Tony let out a laugh that felt dry and sharp in his throat, a little bit giddy. God, his head was spinning. "I've never been more serious about anything."

"I…" Steve swallowed hard, seeming to be slowly coming back. "Come with me," he commanded, and his fingers tightened around Tony's hand.

"Sure, great. Okay," Tony agreed shakily, and all of a sudden he was being dragged along by a very determined super-soldier. Before he was pulled out of the room, he saw all the wide, shocked eyes staring at him, and if he didn't feel like his heart was just about to jump out of his chest, he'd probably had laughed at the sight. Even Natasha looked a little bit dazed. He'd have to remember that; the day that he'd managed to shock Natasha Romanoff.

Steve didn't release them until they were standing in the kitchen, and he walked over to the window. He stood with his back to Tony for a moment, his hands resting on the table that was tucked into the little breakfast nook there. His broad shoulders were loose in his uniform, and Tony ached so badly to walk up and run his fingers over the hard ridge of his shoulder blades, let his fingers fit into the crook of his neck like he knew Steve loved. He wanted to touch him so badly, but he thought that maybe Steve just needed a moment. A moment to process. So he stayed still.

Finally, Steve turned, first with a glance over his shoulder with eyes bright and sharp with something that made Tony's stomach curl. Then, with his full body, and he leaned back against the table as though he wasn't able to hold himself up without the support.

"God you're…" Steve broke off and shook his head in disbelief. Tony wondered if he should be concerned, but he hadn't run away yet, so maybe this was okay. Maybe it was alright. "You're really proposing to me?"

"Yes," Tony confirmed, and grinned at him, wide and bright. "I've been trying to propose to you for months, actually."

"Months?" Steve demanded a little breathlessly.

"Yup," Tony said, "I even have - oh. Hold on." He held up one finger, suddenly remembering the most important part. "I have…"

He trailed off, dropping his hand to dig into the pocket in the under armor, the one where he'd kept that precious piece of metal safe and close to his skin since he'd had it made.

He found it with relieved, frantic fingers, and pulled it out. The weight in his hand was comforting as he drew it out and brought it out into the light, glinting faintly blue from the arc reactor.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward until he was standing in front of Steve, his golden hero, and slowly dropped down onto one knee. He actually heard a murmured 'oh my god,' and really, he couldn't blame Steve. He could hardly believe he was doing this either, but he was acting on impulse. That’s what Tony did, threw himself into everything head first recklessly. It seemed that even when he took the time to plan, his impulsive nature won out.

He held the ring up to Steve, and oh god he was shaking wasn't he. He could do this. He could. This was Steve, his beautiful and valiant Steve with the heart of gold who had chosen to be with the absolute mess that was Tony Stark and he had saved him in so many ways. Steve had done so much for him, the least Tony could do was get through a half decent proposal.

"Steve," he began, his voice catching on the name. "I've been carrying this around for months, but I've wanted you for longer than I can remember. We live such dangerous lives, and almost on a daily basis I'm scared of losing you, and I don't want to waste another moment not being married to you. God, I would marry tonight if you'd have me, I'd marry you right this second-"

"Yes," Steve cut in, the word sharp on an exhaled breath. Tony felt his heart constrict. "Yes, god yes. I want to marry you. I'd marry you right this second, for goodness sake, Stark, stand up and kiss me damn it."

Tony was smiling so hard his cheeks hurt when he vaulted to his feet, and he was still smiling when their lips crashed together, and he felt Steve's laugh skirt across his mouth, and they were kissing like they had thousands of times before, but this time it was while they're engaged.

Steve's hands were in his hair, on his back, cupping the back of his neck, and Tony was leaning into him like his legs didn't know how to hold him up anymore, and he just couldn't stop smiling.

He kissed Steve with everything he had, and never wanted to stop.

Finally, they broke away with laughter on their breath, and Tony thought Steve right then, happy and dazed, was the most beautiful thing in the world.

And he was his.

"Well," Steve said, his voice still giddy and happy, but the slightest bit teasing. "Are you going to put the ring on me, or what?"

"I'll definitely be doing that," Tony laughed shakily, backing away just enough so that he could reach between them to take Steve's hand in his own. With fingers trembling, he held that ring and pushed it onto Steve's waiting finger.

"It's from the first reactor," Tony told him, "the one I built in the cave. I had this whole speech prepared about how it saved my heart for you, but I went and blurted it out, so."

"It's beautiful," Steve murmured, and he looked so happy it made Tony's insides hurt.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Steve said, and then he bent down to kiss him. "Perfect," he whispered against his lips.

"You better have said yes, Steve, I swear to god," Bucky's voice rang through the room, and they broke apart, "that man's got money pouring out of his ears, be his damn kept man if you have to."

"Shut it, Buck," Steve shot out, but it sounded amused more than annoyed, and he was still smiling, not taking his eyes off of Tony.

"No he's right," Clint's voice joined in, "I'd marry Stark myself if he wasn't such an asshole."

With a sigh, and one last kiss to Tony's lips, Steve reluctantly turned to the doorway, seeing as it seemed like they'd been followed and currently had a nosey audience.

"You know we left the room to be alone, right?" Tony grumbled to the whole team was standing there, squished together as they spilled into the room. They were all grinning at them, especially Thor, who looked like his face was about to crack.

"I must congratulate you on your engagement," Thor exclaimed, striding forward with his arms spread wide.

"Oof," Tony said as the air was pushed out of his lungs when he and Steve both were swept up into Thor's arms. He crushed them both against his chest, and Tony squirmed indignantly while Steve just laughed.

"Put us down, Thor," Tony demanded, because his feet were no longer touching the ground, and he was so not okay with that.

Thor obliged, still grinning at them jubilantly, while the others gathered around them. Bruce patted Tony on his back, quietly wished him well. Bucky grabbed Steve by his neck in an affectionate headlock, while Natasha jabbed at his ribs.

"Congrats on not choking on your tongue, Stark," Clint smirked at him, but he slung an arm around Tony's shoulders and he looked massively pleased, so Tony knew that in his way, that was actual well wishing.

"Shall we begin with the festivities post haste?" Thor asked enthusiastically.

Tony frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

"We heard you speak of marrying before the night is out. If that is to happen, we must begin immediately," Thor explained.

"Thor," Natasha said gently, "I don't think that's what they meant."

"Yeah." Tony clapped a confused Thor on the back. "Not sure how you do things back in Asgard, but for us mere mortals, it takes a little longer than that to plan a wedding."

"Why is that?" Thor asked, looking equal parts confused and curious.

"Cake, flowers, venue, guests…" Tony trailed off with a shrug. "We're talking months in the future, bud. Be patient."

"Plus, Tony's going to need to get his outfit hand sewn in the finest silk in all the land," Bucky said flatly, and Clint snickered.

"Funny, Barnes," Tony said, and he was about to get a retort back, but then Steve was talking.

"Tony," Steve said slowly, turning to him with that expression on his face that Tony knew meant the gears were turning in his head, fine lines creasing in between his brows. "Do you want all of that?"

"All of what?"

"The…" Steve gestured with his arms wide. "The big wedding."

Tony shrugged. "Don't you?"

Steve looked at him carefully, his lips thin and his eyes were clouded with thought. "I don't know," he confessed. "I did once, maybe."

"And now?" Tony asked, not quite sure where Steve was going with this.

Steve seemed to think hard for a few moments, everyone in the room watching him carefully, and then he took Tony's hands in his own.

"I know you Tony," he said firmly, fixing Tony with that focused gaze, "and I don't need that. Like you said, I'd marry you right this second if you'd have me."

There was a beat, and then; "Where are you going with this?" Tony asked suspiciously.

"Maybe not tonight," Steve reasoned, "but what about tomorrow? Sam will be here, and so will Rhodey and Pepper… who else is there to ask?"

Tony blinked. "What?"

Steve's smile grew. "Actually, now that I think about it, it would be perfect, getting married on Christmas Day."

"I…" Tony didn't finish. It was his turn to stare stupidly in shock.

Steve squeezed his hands, and he was smiling, he was smiling so bright like the sun, his eyes were dancing and Tony thought that he might melt under his gaze. "Tony, this is my family - our family - and we have everything we need right here. We'll all be together, and I don’t want to spend a moment longer than I have to not being married to you."

He stopped talking then, and squeezed his hands tightly. He was smiling softly, hair still streaked with soot and hanging limply over his forehead, and there was a cut carved into the high arch of his cheek. He looked tired, he looked like he'd been sent down to hell today and had crawled back on his hands and knees. His uniform was torn in a few places, revealing half healed wounds that peeked out from underneath the fabric. He looked tired and beaten, just as did the rest of the team, and Tony was sure he looked the same. It was hardly ideal, or romantic, and not at all what Tony had planned, but Steve was looking at him like he'd managed to capture the essence of life in the form of one person, and he couldn't believe that he'd be lucky enough to find to find him he had better not ever let him go.

No one had ever looked at him like that, and he knew he was looking back at Steve the same way.

He wanted forever with this man, right now.

It wasn't even a question.

"So a Christmas wedding it is, then?" Tony said faintly. Steve looked like he'd swallowed the sun, and suddenly there were lips on his own, it only took a moment before Tony was kissing back with all of his might.

In the back of his mind, he wondered how he could have possibly managed to end up this happy. 


	2. Belongs To Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *sheepishly hands this to you two days after christmas*

When Steve woke up on Christmas morning, it was with anticipation curling in his gut, and it took him a few moments to figure out why his stomach was in knots and his chest felt like it had no weight to it.

Then, he remembered all at once, and he was up and vaulting out of bed like he'd been burned, his eyes wide and a strangled sound coming from his mouth. As he kicked his way out of the blankets that had twisted around his legs in his sleep, he got all tangled up and ended up stumbling out of his bed, ending up in a disheveled heap on the floor. He landed flat on his ass with a squawk, and just sat there, dazed for a few moments.

Right. He was marrying Tony Stark today.

The night before had passed in a whirlwind; after the astonishing announcement, everyone had gone absolutely insane.

In the spur of the moment, Steve had forgotten about the fine details, the logistics of a spontaneous wedding, and there had been a moment of panic when he and Tony thought that it wouldn’t be possible. However, they were very quickly reassured when Natasha reminded them that they were living with a spy who could very easily obtain a marriage license at the drop of a hat, and for some reason, Clint was ordained and would be able to perform the ceremony. Bruce had surprised them by telling them all about his aptitude for decorations, and Thor had very enthusiastically promised to bring mead and other provisions from Asgard. Natasha appointed herself to making sure that the two husbands-to-be looked decent, and Clint scurried off to go write a speech for the ceremony.

Pepper and Rhodey arrived late the night before, both of them rushing forward to pull Tony into a smothering hug when he shouted "He said yes," and pointed at Steve, who raised his left hand to them. Pepper smacked Tony on the back of his head when they finally released him from their embrace for not calling her to tell her sooner, and Rhodey looked a little star struck and in shock as he glanced between Steve and Tony reverently, slowly saying that "His best friend was marrying Captain America."

Steve had blushed at the very obvious admiration, but gratefully accepted congratulatory hugs from both of them. Pepper, of course, went straight into business mode. Much to everyone's relief, she unofficially became the one in charge, and gave everyone their own tasks (Steve and Tony's only task being that they better not run off with cold feet during the night. Steve figured he could manage that).

When Sam arrived and heard the news, he'd grinned at Steve and clapped him on the back before pulling him into a hug. Then he turned to Tony, pointed at him, and told him that he better not hurt Falcon's sidekick, which got a laugh out of all of them, but Steve knew there was a faint glimmer of seriousness there. Between him, Bucky and Natasha - especially Natasha - he was concerned one of them would make Tony cry in their protectiveness of him.

But Tony had laughed too, and assured him that there was no way he could hurt Steve for fear of the "puppy dog eyes," and everyone nodded in agreement, while Steve sputtered indignantly.

It was all a weird, wonderful mess, and Steve could hardly believe it was happening.

The strangest thing about it all, though, was that he was in his own bed, in his old suite. He hadn't slept there in ages, it had been nearly half a year since he and Tony realized that they were sleeping together every night anyways, so they might as well just call it like it is and sleep in the same bed. The going back and forth between rooms had gotten to be a hassle, and really it didn't make sense for them to be apart, not when they so clearly were spending every night with each other. So Steve had moved up into Tony's suite, and had been sleeping in his - in their - bed ever since.

But, last night, when he'd yawned and kissed Tony's cheek before saying good night to the team, Natasha had looked him dead in the eyes and asked him if he really expected them to let him sleep with Tony the night before they got married.

Tony, of course, had protested profusely, claiming that they were the least traditional couple in existence and that they should be allowed to sleep together if they damn well pleased. But to his dismay, Steve agreed with Natasha, and told Tony that they could definitely manage a night separate from each other. Tony had looked at him with his face completely aghast as he kissed him good night and left the room, heading to his old suite for the night.

Waking up alone in his old bed was strange, but what was even stranger was that after tonight, there would be no reason for him to even have his own floor anymore, let alone his own bed.

Thinking of this, he was smiling dopily as he got up from his nest of blankets on the floor, and headed downstairs for a Christmas breakfast.

***

Unfortunately, in Natasha's opinion at least, since they decided to get married on Christmas, it wasn't really possible for them to not see each other at all before the actual wedding took place. Christmas morning was still happening, and they were obviously spending it together, so of course it was completely unavoidable.

Since they spent the night apart from each other, as soon as Tony walked into the kitchen that morning to find Steve at the stove cooking a massive pan full of eggs, he made a beeline for him. Steve felt a warm body colliding with his back, and firm were arms wrapped around his waist.

He chuckled and dropped his hand onto the two that were linked his over his stomach. He leaned back into the touch, and Tony made that familiar content humming noise.

"Hey handsome," Tony murmured into his ear, squeezing his arms around his hips briefly. "Missed you."

"I missed you too," Steve answered honestly. One night without Tony curled up next to him was more than enough. He gave the eggs one last stir before setting his spatula down so that he could turn around in the circle of Tony's arms.

Tony was grinning up at him happily as he turned to face him, and rested his arms over his shoulders.

Steve bent down to kiss him, dropping his hands to Tony's hips as easily and instinctively as though it was where they were always meant to be.

"I'm glad we won't have to do that again," Tony said when they parted, and Steve let out a soft laugh in agreement, kissing the tip of Tony's nose quickly. "Me too, baby."

Tony scrunched up his nose at that, a sight that Steve had always adored, his face going all petulant and secretly pleased like it always did when Steve was especially affectionate. "Sap," he said fondly.

"Yup," Steve murmured, and leaned forward so his head rested gently against Tony's forehead. "Your sap."

"Mine," Tony agreed, and there was that smile, that one that lit his eyes up and looked so natural and perfect on his face. Steve couldn't resist leaning in to taste it for himself.

"So is this going to be a thing?" A displeased voice cut into their moment, and they both begrudgingly looked up to see Clint glaring at him. He was sitting at the breakfast table, shovelling mouthfuls of cheerios into his mouth, looking at them accusingly. "Public nose kissing and forehead boops?"

Next to Clint, Bucky almost choked on his toast. He stared at Clint incredulously. "'Forehead boops'? Are you serious?"

"Well what would you call it?" Clint demanded defensively, glaring at him.

"Anything but that."

"It doesn't matter anyways," Natasha said stoutly from the other side of the table, where she was sitting with her knees drawn up in her reindeer pajamas, sipping at a mug of coffee. She looked at the two of them over the brim of the Hawkeye mug that was given to her as a gag gift that she used ironically (so she said, no one believed her).

"They've been like that for forever," she continued, "it's only going to get worse now that they're getting married."

"Great," Clint grumbled, and Bucky nodded in agreement.

"Just keep the sickening cuteness to a minimum, why don’t ya?" Bucky pleaded.

Tony shrugged where he was still pressed against Steve, who had his arms still wrapped around him and appeared to not have any intention of moving any time soon. "I'll be whatever I want with my Steve in my tower, thank you very much," Tony retorted, and then turned to Steve to kiss his cheek.

"'My Steve'?" Steve asked curiously, one eyebrow quirking up.

"Yes, my Steve," Tony said, and he reached for his hand to rub his thumb meaningfully over the ring on Steve's finger.

Steve grinned and hugged him closer, while Clint and Bucky made retching noises, and Natasha snickered softly under her breath.

They completely ignored them, of course. Their tower, their rules.

***

"Nervous?" Natasha asked, looking pointedly at where Steve was worrying at his lower lip.

Steve released his lip from the assault and gave a forced sigh and a shaky smile. "No. Well, I mean, yes I'm nervous, but I want to do this."

"Of course you do," Natasha said in her best duh voice. She started fiddling with his tie, tugging at it and adjusting it.

"I do," Steve repeated, more to himself than to Natasha, because his hands were shaking and saying it out loud made it feel more real. 

"Save it for the wedding, Rogers," Natasha quipped, which Steve responded to with a roll of his eyes. "Besides, there's no reason to be nervous, Stark's head over heels for you."

Steve smiled softly. "Yeah," he murmured, "I think he is."

"You better be sure that he is," Natasha told him, her eyes flicking up to meet his briefly before returning to her task of perfecting the tie around his throat. "You're marrying the guy in less than an hour."

"I know he is," Steve said. He shook his head ever so slightly, earned himself a glare, and he breathed a soft laugh. "He really is."

"Don't worry," Natasha assured him, gave the tie one last final adjustment before stepping back to admire her handy work. "Stark's proven that you're the one exception to his general dislike of antiques, so I think you're all good."

"Really?" Steve said, his lips curving up the slightest bit in amusement. "Making fun of my age on my wedding day?"

"Hold still, old man," she told him instead of responding, and then her hands where in his hair, brushing back the blond strands into position. He obediently stayed perfectly still, letting her fix him up to her liking.

"Unbelievable," he teased, and she ignored him; she was on a mission with his hair at the moment and that seemed to be far more important.

"You look sharp, man," Sam's voice came from the doorway. He was just about to turn to him, but Natasha gave him a look that told him that he'd better not move.

Instead he stood completely still, and a grin crossed his face that Sam couldn't see. "Thanks, Sam."

Sam was standing in front of them, his hand clapping down on his shoulder. "You ready for this?"

Steve let out a shaky laugh, and shrugged without thinking. Natasha smacked his arm.

"Sorry," he told her, and then to Sam, "as ready I'll ever be."

"Cold feet?"

"No." Steve shook his head. "Not even a little bit."

Sam squeezed his shoulder, then let his hand drop. "Good. Let's go get you married to Tony Stark then."

***

Steve was eternally grateful for Pepper Potts, because since no one else had seemed to think of it, she accepted responsibility for overseeing the speech writing that Clint had been appointed to.

Disaster averted. Steve was starting to understand the general reverence in everyone's eyes with they talked about Pepper. The speech was both eloquent and personal, as well as retaining the essence of Clint's rather unique personality. It was perfect. Thor cried openly, Bucky and Sam tried to hide their tears, and everyone chuckled at least once during the speech. All in all, Clint was a success.

They got married in the communal living room, which was decked in a mixture of flowers and twinkling lights, thanks to Bruce, who managed to make it look both Christmassy and like a wedding at the same time, without it seeming tacky or mismatched. Everything went together perfectly.

When Tony walked in to meet Steve where he stood in front of the Christmas tree, his body stiffly in parade rest as he waited for him, Steve was smiling so wide he thought his face might crack. Tony looked similar as he made his way towards him, looking sharp and dapper in his black tux, his eyes twinkling and the corners of his brown eyes all crinkled. When he reached Steve, he found Steve's hand with his own immediately, their fingers linking together like they had so many times before. Steve felt a jolt run between them at the touch, and they kept their fingers tangled together throughout the entirety of the ceremony.

He didn't take his eyes off of Tony the entire time, the pad of his thumb stroking the back of his hand as Clint spoke. Tony stared back, as if they were the only ones in the room, and Steve was having a hard time holding himself back from rushing forward and crushing him in an embrace. 

"I need the rings," Clint was saying, and Steve nodded, still staring at Tony, but then Natasha was standing next to him, pressing the coolness of his ring into his palm. He looked at her as she did so, mouthing a silent thank you to her. She gave him a soft look, not having to say anything out loud. She leaned in and kissed Steve's cheek, and gave him the sharp jerk of her head that was the nod that meant see you on the other side. Steve returned it, and she grinned, seemingly unable to help herself, and then turned to Tony to give him his ring. She kissed his cheek too, and went back to her seat after squeezing Steve's bicep one last time.

"Okay," Clint said loudly, clearing his throat. "So, Tony. Go ahead and say your vows, or whatever."

Tony rolled his eyes at his wording, and squeezed Steve's fingers.

"You need your cards, boss?" Happy asked, already standing and digging around in his pocket, but Tony was shaking his head.

"No," he said. "I'm just going to talk."

He took in a deep breath, and then he was talking, his voice wavering ever so slightly, but that steely determination Steve loved ever so much was vibrant in his face.

"When I met you, you drove me insane," Tony told him honestly, "You were a self righteous prick and I wanted to throw you off the hellicarrier."

"Uh, Tony," Clint interjected, "I'm all for skipping over the sappiness, but I'm pretty sure that at a wedding you're not supposed to insult your groom?"

"Hush," Tony told him dismissively, "I'm not done."

"Fine," Clint conceded, and waved for him to continue. "Go on."

"Thanks," Tony said drily, and rolled his eyes. Steve was grinning at him in amusement as he continued.

"I didn't know why you rubbed me in all the wrong ways," Tony admitted, "you just seemed to know how to hit all of my weak spots, how to strike all the right places to make me squirm."

He lifted one shoulder in a regretful shrug. "It took me a while to figure it out."

Tony paused, took another deep breath, and shook his head before going on.

"You saw through me," he murmured. "You knew me for less than a day and your wormed your way past all my defensive, touching places that I'd kept hidden for so long."

"Once I stopped resisting, which took a lot longer than I'd like to admit, I realized how amazing that was. That you were able to read me an open book, that you knew me without even realizing it. The best part was, you used that power to make me feel good about myself. You tore down all of my walls so that you could help me build something stronger in its place."

He gave him a soft little smile, and it was so loving and grateful that Steve felt a lump growing in his throat. He was not going to cry.

"You make me better," Tony whispered, and Steve's throat clicked as he swallowed, the earnestness in his voice striking right as his heart. "You make me want to better. You make me want to be known, I want to be known by you for forever. And I want to love you and give you everything I have for as long as you'll let me."

Now, Tony looked like he was about to cry, and as he finished, he sounded more than a little bit choked up, his voice watery and wavering.

"You deserve the world," he said, "and I'm going to spend my life loving you, and I hope I can be everything that you deserve. I swear, I promise, I'll try."

There was a long pause, Steve clutching at Tony's hand so hard he had to remind himself that Tony was breakable.

Steve's chest hurt with how much he loved this man.

Clint was the one who broke the silence, clearing his throat.

"Steve?" he said, and Steve kindly didn't comment on the watery nature to his voice.

"Yeah," Steve said quietly, waving Bucky off as he stepped forward to hand him his cards. He didn't have much to say. That was the thing about loving Tony, it was complex and wild and wonderful, but he could always narrow it down to one word.

"Home," he said, his voice raw. Tony's eyebrows raised curiously.

"That's what you are to me," he explained. "When I woke up, cold and lost and terrified, I had nothing. I had my entire life torn out of my hands, thrust into a life that wasn't mine, so far away from everything I'd ever known. How could I live with that?"

He let out a shaky breath, and he felt Tony's fingers tighten on his own. Always gave him strength, he did.

"Then there was you," he said, "so stubborn and sarcastic. Drove me crazy, but I loved it. You kept me on my feet. You made me feel alive after being dead for so long. You fascinated me. I admired you, but I also was fascinated by you as a person. I was happy to have you as a team mate."

"Then you let me in, and I knew you were important to me in ways I never would've imagined. You were… unfathomably important. I fell in love with your everything, and I finally felt less lost."

His voice sounded broken, but he didn't care. Tony was looking at him with wide, watery eyes, and he had to finish. He would.

"You gave me a home," he rasped. "You gave me a home in your smile, in your kiss, in the way you told me you loved me. You gave me a home, and a family. Things I never thought I'd have."

"You gave me you, and I am eternally grateful that I've been given the privilege of being the one who loves you for the rest of his life."

He exhaled when he finished, and Tony was biting into his bottom lip, his eyes frantic and big as saucers as he stared.

"I…" he began, but was stopped by a strangled noise from Clint.

"Oh just put the damn ring on him," Clint choked out from beside them, and they both laughed, giddy and wide mouthed.

Tony turned Steve's hand over gingerly, slipped the ring on his finger. Steve did the same for him, and then took both of Tony's hands in his own.

"Oh, right," Clint backtracked, "Do you take each other? I'm supposed to ask that."

"Of course."

"I do."

They both spoke at once, both too impatient to wait to say it, the words bleeding with each other, mixing and overlapping. Steve was smiling dopily at Tony, who was smiling back at him with the same expression, bright and goofy and so blissfully happy.

He was only half listening when Clint said, "You can kiss each other now." He was already leaning in, because he couldn't wait another moment to do just that.

***

"You are not carrying me, Steve, I swear to god."

"And why not?" Steve demanded, loosening his tie from where it was tight around his throat. Natasha had really put it on him securely, it'd been driving him insane all night.

"Because you're just not!" Tony said firmly, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, eyes narrowed.

They were standing in the elevator, having just left the Christmas/Post Wedding festivities; which included the consumption of Thor's mead, and everyone clinking their glasses every five minutes so they would (willingly) kiss. They were on their way up to their suite, and Steve's blood was humming with excitement and anticipation, his whole body thrumming it.

Tony was being difficult though, in purely Tony-like fashion, and refusing to let Steve carry him over the threshold once the elevator stopped. 

"You know," Steve mused, "I could very easily just pick you up and toss you over my shoulder if I wanted to."

"You wouldn't."

Steve shrugged, noncommittal. "Who knows. But I'd appreciate it if you just let me carry you over the threshold."

"Why is that?"

"Because I just know that if I carry you in there over my shoulder, I'm going to have to listen to you whining for months about how I'm trying to undermine your last shred of dignity."

"Now hold on a second-"

"And," Steve continued, talking over Tony, "I know you're just putting on a front right now, and you actually really want me to do it."

Tony scoffed. "That is absolutely not true at all."

"Oh but it is," Steve countered, and brushed his thumb against the curve of Tony's jaw, over that telltale twitch that always showed up there when he was pretending like this. "I think I know you pretty well. I am married to you after at all."

Tony gave him a shrewd smile. "I don’t think that you can use that excuse just yet, Rogers."

"Stark."

Tony blinked. "What?"

"Rogers-Stark," Steve repeated.

That was the exact the moment that the playful façade faded, and his expression softened in realization.

"Right," he murmured, his voice gentle.

Steve stepped forward purposefully, and took Tony's left hand in his own, rubbing his thumb over the ring there that matched the one on his own hand.

"What do you say, Mr. Stark-Rogers," Steve whispered, leaning in close so that the words brushed against his ear. "Let me carry you into our room?"

Tony shivered, and then he leaned back to glare at Steve.

"That's a low blow," he told him, deadpan.

"Yup," Steve said cheerfully, "it most certainly is."

Tony glared at him for a few more moments, and Steve stared back, knowing his face was all creased in teasing amusement.

Eventually, Tony sighed and his shoulders dropped. "Fine," he grumbled.

Steve beamed, and there was only a fraction of a second before he was hooking his arms underneath the bend of Tony's knees, an arm bracing strong and firm around his shoulders. He swung Tony up into his arms easily, like he weighed nothing, and Tony made his obligatory disgruntled grunt, but there was that familiar smile tugging at the corners of his lips, the one he always tried to conceal but Steve always noticed. Tony's arms looped around his neck, and Steve could feel him curling his fingers gently into the hair there at the nape of his neck.

"There," Tony said, "You're carrying me. Satisfied?"

"Sure am," Steve responded cheerfully.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open, revealing to them their suite. At some point someone must have snuck up to their floor to decorate it, because there were no lights on, but the entire space was alight with the faint glow of candlelight. Every available surface was covered in the pillars of wax, sending warm light to flicker gently around the room.

"It looks like a fire hazard in here," Tony commented, and Steve had to agree.

"Let's just hope the room doesn't burst into flames while we're not paying attention," Steve said wryly, looking around the room nervously. It was nice, yes, very romantic, but he was also concerned that at any moment the room would burst into a flaming conflagration.

"JARVIS will let us know if the curtains catch on fire," Tony said absently. He smirked up at Steve, a suggestive twinkle in his eyes. "But I'm curious what you have in mind that would keep us so distracted."

Steve smiled softly down at him, and pressed a kiss to Tony's lips.

"Once I carry you over the threshold, I'd be happy to show you," Steve told him quietly when he leaned back, just far enough so that he still hovered over Tony's mouth.

Tony's glance slid away from Steve's face, to the impending house fire that was their suite. Steve saw something flicker across his face as his eyes assessed the room, something anticipatory and nervous all at once, in the way his eyes widened slightly and his lip ended up caught between his teeth for a brief moment. Steve waited, giving Tony a moment to let all of this sink in, Steve was feeling exactly the same way.

This kind of happiness was proving to be a little difficult to fathom.

Finally, Tony looked back at Steve, his smile gentle and content, and he leaned up to kiss Steve again.

"Carry on, soldier boy," he whispered against his lips.

Steve adjusted his hold on the wiry, dark haired man in his arms, and was more than happy to oblige.

***

Steve woke up with a smile curved softly over his lips, a deep rumble of contentment rumbling through his bones. There was the warmth of an arm slung across his stomach, the sound of soft snoring in his ear, and he felt like his chest was about to burst with the happiness.

He opened his eyes and leaned over to the sleeping figure who he knew would be there, who he knew would always be there, and brushed a kiss against the bare ridge of Tony's shoulder. He smiled as Tony murmured and shifted, his face all relaxed in sleep.

Steve was smiling sleepily as he snuggled in closer, fading back into sleep. Somehow, as he drifted back into slumber, he ended up grabbing Tony's left hand and holding it against his own chest.

That's how he fell asleep, all tangled around Tony's limbs, and that's how he woke up hours later. 

He woke again later still smiling, and stole an identical smile from Tony's lips, happily knowing that he could for the rest of his life. 


End file.
